Personal Finance

What is a reasonable salary for my job?

  • Last Updated:
  • Oct 22nd, 2010 9:42 am
Tags:
None
Member
User avatar
Jun 25, 2009
378 posts
17 upvotes
Toronto

What is a reasonable salary for my job?

I don't know if this is the proper forum topic, but oh well.

I'm a PhD student in a major urban city in Canada. I've been offered a job at a neighbouring university. My job is to organize and proofread/edit about 600 multiple choice questions for a multiple choice "test bank" for one of the introductory classes (like Psychology 101). The job will take about 100 hours or so, but my supervisor has told me to just go ahead and suggest a salary rate (per hour). (I have the job, just need to set a rate.)

Now, I've been a Teaching Assistant and a Research Assistant before. At my school, these two positions will earn about $40 and $30 per hour, respectively. But I consider this new job as a "consulting" gig (maybe I shouldn't?). Anyways, I'm just wondering what would be a reasonable rate to offer. I don't want to go too high, but not too low either. There's a standard TA rate ($40) at this other school, but no standard RA rate (depends on prof/student).

Your suggestions for a $/hr. amount would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
11 replies
Sr. Member
User avatar
Nov 29, 2007
839 posts
81 upvotes
Victoria BC
euges720 wrote: I don't know if this is the proper forum topic, but oh well.

I'm a PhD student in a major urban city in Canada. I've been offered a job at a neighbouring university. My job is to organize and proofread/edit about 600 multiple choice questions for a multiple choice "test bank" for one of the introductory classes (like Psychology 101). The job will take about 100 hours or so, but my supervisor has told me to just go ahead and suggest a salary rate (per hour). (I have the job, just need to set a rate.)

Now, I've been a Teaching Assistant and a Research Assistant before. At my school, these two positions will earn about $40 and $30 per hour, respectively. But I consider this new job as a "consulting" gig (maybe I shouldn't?). Anyways, I'm just wondering what would be a reasonable rate to offer. I don't want to go too high, but not too low either. There's a standard TA rate ($40) at this other school, but no standard RA rate (depends on prof/student).

Your suggestions for a $/hr. amount would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Correct me if I am wrong but proofing/sorting multiple choice questions for a 100-level class sounds like it would be grunt/low-paid work? Do they really pay $30-$40/hr for this?
Deal Addict
Feb 5, 2009
2429 posts
403 upvotes
Frosc wrote: Correct me if I am wrong but proofing/sorting multiple choice questions for a 100-level class sounds like it would be grunt/low-paid work? Do they really pay $30-$40/hr for this?

Was just wondering the same thing
Jr. Member
Oct 6, 2009
127 posts
16 upvotes
Frosc wrote: Correct me if I am wrong but proofing/sorting multiple choice questions for a 100-level class sounds like it would be grunt/low-paid work? Do they really pay $30-$40/hr for this?

In universities, TA positions are very much overpaid. The idea behind it is to make it worth while for the top students(so adequate help is provided in lab/tutorials and assignments marked correctly in a timely fashion).


If I were the OP, I would:
1) Find out what TA's are making at the other institution.
2) If the amount is on par to what is stated above, ask no more than $50 per hour.
Deal Fanatic
Feb 15, 2006
9183 posts
3861 upvotes
Toronto
turbotime wrote: In universities, TA positions are very much overpaid. The idea behind it is to make it worth while for the top students(so adequate help is provided in lab/tutorials and assignments marked correctly in a timely fashion).
If that's what you think, what should the rate be in your opinion?

To be a TA or RA, one has to finished a Bachelor degree in good standing first, to get into graduate studies. They need the knowledge/competency to be marking assignments of undergraduate students, conduct tutorials, or assist prof's in their research.

For someone not to go into the working world after a degree, but to be a graduate student, often the TA or RA pay, is their sole income. Not everyone gets scholarship that pays for their studies.

So in this country, what do you think it's a fair rate, for the TAs or RAs? If your kid is going to university as and undergraduate student, would you like someone off the street to conduct tutorials for their studies instead?
Deal Addict
Jan 28, 2009
2013 posts
613 upvotes
Calgary
euges720 wrote: I don't know if this is the proper forum topic, but oh well.

I'm a PhD student in a major urban city in Canada. I've been offered a job at a neighbouring university. My job is to organize and proofread/edit about 600 multiple choice questions for a multiple choice "test bank" for one of the introductory classes (like Psychology 101). The job will take about 100 hours or so, but my supervisor has told me to just go ahead and suggest a salary rate (per hour). (I have the job, just need to set a rate.)

Now, I've been a Teaching Assistant and a Research Assistant before. At my school, these two positions will earn about $40 and $30 per hour, respectively. But I consider this new job as a "consulting" gig (maybe I shouldn't?). Anyways, I'm just wondering what would be a reasonable rate to offer. I don't want to go too high, but not too low either. There's a standard TA rate ($40) at this other school, but no standard RA rate (depends on prof/student).

Your suggestions for a $/hr. amount would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

$15 / hr
Deal Addict
Apr 8, 2010
1307 posts
64 upvotes
Burlington
turbotime wrote: In universities, TA positions are very much overpaid.

It's more accurate to say that TA positions are a form of student aid. You get a lump sum for the work and are expected to devote X hours per week to the position (at least where I did graduate studies, I assume its the same everywhere).

As student aid you could justify what is basically the equivalent of 30-40 dollars per hour. But as a real job the actual going rate is probably in the 10-20 range depending on how much knowledge you need on the subject you are doing the proofreading for.
Jr. Member
Jul 11, 2009
134 posts
6 upvotes
Mississauga
he's a phD student, racking up lots of debt with a paltry stipend no doubt. in any event, i think about 35 should cover you. it's not really worth more than 40, even as a unionized TA position, even someplace like Toronto. don't get too greedy now :)
Deal Addict
User avatar
Sep 26, 2007
3960 posts
146 upvotes
SC
just pick a number you are comfortable with.
Deal Expert
User avatar
Nov 2, 2003
17117 posts
3872 upvotes
GTA
public institutions are the best places to make money
they have virtually infinite budget even during the worse of recessions
most of the time, they are able to make enough money by charging nominal prices to students
we used to have a computer room where we offered printing for 10 cents a page... this is about ten years ago...
we would rake in $50,000 in profit a year. on top of that, we had our budget was about 2x more than our expenses...

we ended up having fantastic end of year dinners where everyone got trashed on vodka jello shots.

charge as much as you want. you'll get away with it.
Deal Addict
Mar 10, 2010
1595 posts
589 upvotes
When I was doing my PhD and an external company wanted us to do work our contract rate was $150 /hr. Now that said, I was working as a chemist and it was to do a job that only a few labs in the world were capable of. If you are still doing your PhD you should ask for the top grad student rate ~$45/h, however, if you have completed your PhD then you should ask double that.

Good luck.

Top

Thread Information

There is currently 1 user viewing this thread. (0 members and 1 guest)